News from the Giant Otter Project in Peru

In 1994, in Manu National Park, the Otorongo group is now led by Isla; there is further evidence that tourism is affecting breeding adversely. Tourism has doubled this year, but the national park authority have signed an agreement accepting responsibility for protecting the animals, and are building an observation tower for tourists that does not seem to trouble the otters. We organsied a seminar on "Management of tourism in the reserves of Madre de Dios" in the department capital, Puerto Maldonado, and contributed to another organised by the University of Cusco and the park administration. We published a booklet containing the most important results of our study. We investaged the acoustic communication of giant otters under water, finished a study on mercury contamination of fish, produced a book, "Die W lfe der Flüsse - Riesenotter und ihr Lebensraum Regenwald", and produced a TV film "Die Riesenotter vom Madre de Dios".